Cargo securing is important to prevent damage to cargo and vehicles during transport. It can take many forms depending on the type of vehicle and cargo. Simple lashings, unit loads, come-alongs, blocking, dunnage, and inflatable bags are all methods used. Modern containers have their own dedicated cargo securing system.
Cargo securing is the practice of stabilizing and securing cargo so that it remains stationary during transport. This is done for several reasons, but most of all to prevent the cargo from being damaged. Securing the load also prevents damage to the vehicle carrying the load or loss of the load itself. The practice is common across all aspects of the transportation and cargo industry and can take many forms depending on the type of vehicle and the type of cargo being transported.
Four major types of transportation are used worldwide to transport goods. Cargo planes, trucks, trains, and ships are the primary means by which most cargo is transported. Some methods of securing cargo are specific to each type of transport, but some are common to all.
Simple lashings are the most primitive and still one of the most common types of cargo securing for smaller loads. Ropes, high-strength straps, and cables are used to hold the cargo in place with the ends tied to eyelets, eyelets, or any available part of the cargo vehicle. This simple type of cargo securing has been used to move cargo for thousands of years, on horses, camels and archaic vehicles, such as wagons and sailing ships.
In modern times many specialized techniques have been developed for cargo securing. Boxes arranged on pallets in such a way that the palletized loads form regular shapes are called unit loads. The cargo and pallet are then wrapped tightly in plastic, stabilizing the individual boxes and securing them to the pallet itself. These unit loads are sometimes further stabilized by strapping.
A common device in cargo securing is the come-along. This is a type of ratchet fastener that gradually tightens a strap until it is much tighter than could be achieved by simply pulling the strap by hand. The strap may or may not be attached to tie down points on a vehicle, as these types of straps are also sometimes used to stabilize small loads on pallets. Some types of joints can also be used on chains or cables.
Oversized loads can be secured by a number of other means. Blocking is a technique by which wooden blocks are nailed or bolted to the cargo vehicle to stabilize a load. Dunnage is the practice of surrounding the load with other objects such as wood or scrap materials to fill any gaps between the various loads and the vehicle, stabilizing the load. Inflatable bags are a relatively recent invention that were first used in the 1960s and are essentially balloons of durable material that are placed around cargo and then inflated, immobilizing the cargo.
Modern containers and their transportation have led to the development of an entire cargo securing system dedicated to these cargo carriers, which have become the standard for international shipments, particularly across oceans. The containers lock to each other and to the ship’s deck with special locking fasteners installed on each container and the ship. These are often automatic, so the simple act of stacking the containers with a crane will lock them together.
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